I write “The Windup” MLB newsletter for @theathletic / here are all my other links in case this smoking engine does in fact blow up: linktr.ee/leviweaver
Dallas, TX
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I honestly do not know if I’ll post here beyond the windup links. No secret where I’m at — same place everyone else is defecting to. It’s been a mirror of this feed for a while now anyway. ✌️
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The CDC now says that fully vaccinated people can swing at 3-0 pitches any dang time they want
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When Gabe Kapler goes out to make a pitching change, he knows the pitcher might get mad and invoke a clause requiring a vote, so he brings a second Gabe Kapler with him (to get double votes)
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Umpire just told Beltre to get in the on-deck circle. Beltre responded by dragging the on-deck circle to where he was standing. Ejected.
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The Texas Rangers — the only MLB team without a Pride Night — have changed their website banner. Here are screenshots from May 29 vs. today.
“Run it Back” has given way to “Straight Up Texas”
At best, it’s really unfortunate timing. At worst, it feels antagonistic.
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I have some thoughts on Pride Nights, as I sit in the press box and see this in right field, and consider that one of these teams is the only one in the league that refuses to have one.
ALT Big screen showing team logos. Rays logo is in pride night rainbow colors. Beneath, another multi-colored sign saying “Baseball is for everyone”
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After 45 years, Eric Nadel finally got to call the final out of a World Series.
Earlier that day, I sat down with Eric to talk about his life in broadcasting, a “bucket list” call, and his longtime broadcast partner, the late Mark Holtz.
theathletic.com/5022504
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Shed Long — a 23 y/o major league baseball player, in peak physical condition, wearing a glove, 175 ft from home plate — didn't play this cleanly & was left shaking his hand in pain.
But tell me again how grandma in section 119 just needs to "pay closer attention to the game"
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[job interview] “So it says here you’ve done animation for an MLB team?”
“Yep”
“Can we... see it?”
“Absolutely not.”
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Time for a game of “spot the difference,” wherein one team conveniently leaves out one little part of the message.
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If owners refuse to pay their minor leaguers, those players should have the option to declare themselves free agents.
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Which one of these players is Brady Feigl? Trick question: they are both named Brady Feigl. One is in the Rangers system, and the other is in the A's system.
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Hearing from multiple sources that Joey Gallo is being traded to the New York Yankees.
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Guy in the stands in Oakland: GIMME AN A!!!!!
Crowd: A!!!!!
Guy in stands: WHAT'S THAT SPELL?!?!?!
honestly, credit to that man
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[at a bar] I’m a, uh, baseball player. i play in the big leagues.
[total stranger] oh really? what’s your name?
[panicking] uhhhhh
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Imagine being in the World Series and you gotta sit in the dugout and let Ice Cube trash-talk you for 5 minutes before first pitch
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Maybe it’s good we don’t have sports right now. Maybe a distraction is the last thing we need. Maybe we all need to see this with very focused and open and extremely uncomfortable eyes.
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Why is everyone freaking out, the Angels have been beating themselves for years now
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It has recently come to my attention that there are still people using “DFW” as if it is one city and Dallas and Fort Worth are interchangeable.
Here’s the DFW metroplex, with a few other comparable distances:
ALT The distance between Rockwall and Weatherford (the city never really stops between them) is comparable to: - Manhattan to East Philadelphia - Irvine to San Diego - Orlando to Tampa
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Rangers fans thought a right-hander from Alvin Texas would bring them a World Series. Then for one brief moment, they thought #17 was going to clinch it for them.
They were (eventually) correct.
ALT Nolan Ryan, from Alvin, Texas
ALT Nelson Cruz, wearing #17
ALT Nathan Eovaldi, of Alvin, Texas, wearing #17
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This extends well beyond sports, of course, but it seems every day lately has brought a new shipment of “it absolutely doesn’t have to be this way, a vast majority of people see this with extreme clarity, and yet: here it goes: the worst possible outcome, yet again.”
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Wow, I knew that @BMcCarthy32 was the most Twitter baseball player of all time, but retiring with 69 wins and a 4.20 ERA seems a bit on the nose.
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Wow Bryce Harper is in year one of a thirteen-year contract and already giving coded messages about leaving Philly for Los Angeles. Wild
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Tyler Skaggs has passed away. We do not have details yet about how he passed, but tonight's game between the Angels and Rangers has been canceled.
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I think Dusty Baker's concerns are warranted. I've wondered for awhile now who would be the first pitcher to hold up a ball and yell "this one is a fastball" at an Astros hitter before plunking him.
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if the MLB season were cancelled bc of the pandemic, it would super suck, but I would understand.
If the sport implodes because of malignant greed and arrogant short-sightedness on behalf of the supposed keepers of the game, my anger will accompany me to the grave.
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You know that Ferris Bueller song that goes "ohhhh yeahhhh" and then there's the part at the end that goes like
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Hot Sports Opinion: this should be legal, and they should put soap on the tarp to make it even more fun. $10/slide. If you make it all the way from 1B-3B in one slide, it's free, and one lucky fan can choose to challenge a player of their choice. If they win, they're the opener.
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Hey Mickey you’re so fined, you’re so fined, but won’t miss time, hey Mickey 👏 👏
BREAKING: The Mets are fining both Mickey Callaway and Jason Vargas for their roles in last night's clubhouse altercation, but issuing no suspensions, according to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.
Van Wagenen called the altercation "disappointing" and "regrettable."
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Per the new rules if a HR derby ends in a tie, the competitors have to play a nine-inning baseball game to settle it.
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Jacob deGrom is back on the fiel— Oh crap. Ah, geez. Mets Twitter is going to have a field day with this one 🤦♂️
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Pride Nights are a way for baseball and its teams to say “Not here. Here, you’re welcome to cheer on this team that means so much to so many people. You are each welcome and accepted as people.”
So maybe you can see why opposing them (or refusing to have one) is such a big deal.
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Maybe it would help if you re-framed it. Instead of viewing it as a celebration of something you don’t believe in, try thinking of it as a way to show people that they are welcome and included in the baseball world.
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Can you imagine being Eric Hosmer right now?
Accept the trade and you leave a contender to go play in a very un-fun situation.
Reject it, and you play for a franchise that resents you for doing so and also it becomes a huge part of your legacy.
That sucks, man.
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Anyway, happy Pride Month to all my LGBTQ+ and queer friends. You’ve made my life a better place.
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Wow baseball really *is* a copycat league. Yesterday, the Astros put four men in the outfield. Today? Check out the Rangers experimenting with a 16-outfielder alignment.
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This is taped to Corey Seager’s chair. Lowe’s explanation? “I just thought he needed a picture of me.”
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BREAKING: Texas Rangers plan to open to full 40,518 capacity for 2 final exhibition games and Opening Day, with plans to have social-distanced sections available in subsequent games.
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Here is Jack Leiter throwing a baseball directly at one of the catchers wow this sport is wild
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The Langford walk-off was cool but I also can’t stop thinking about this lil maneuver to start the 8th inning with the Rangers trailing 4-1
ALT Josh Smith hurdling Tommy Kahnle
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I know: “they’re welcome like everyone else; why does it have to be about LGBTQ?!”
Bc that framework is placed on the LGBTQ+ community all. the. time.
Bathroom bills, “don’t say gay” bills, being called “groomers” by opponents, victims of violent crime at higher rates, etc.
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This quote from Jon Daniels about how Beltré informed the GM of his decision to retire is peak Beltré.
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…anyway, here’s Wander/Walls
#Rays place Wander Franco on the 10-day injured list, recalling Taylor Walls.
mlbtraderumors.com/2021/09/r…
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Sometimes (maybe all the time?) getting to a place of equality means going the extra mile to pull the narrative back from where it has been. Getting from a negative number, back to zero, requires adding positive numbers, so to speak.
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[cue me beginning every newsletter “Dear Meryl…” from this day forward]
ALT Meryl Streep with a white app featuring a black A
ALT The Athletic app, which is also white and featuring a black A.
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One of these is my my favorite work of art by a Japanese artist and the other is The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai
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Rangers confirm that Joey Gallo has tested positive for COVID-19.
On 6/29 got positive test. Did follow-up test on 6/30 and it came back negative. Waited 48 hours, and 7/2 test came back positive yesterday.
Is asymptomatic, quarantining at home.
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Greetings from PNC Park in Pittsburgh. This is the 13th MLB park I’ve worked from, and my 21st overall. There is no filter on this photo
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The Rangers — and if I have to eat these words, it will be a very exciting meal — aren’t going to make the playoffs.
But between this game-ending catch, Langford’s walk-off grand slam, and the Jankowski robbery the other night, they’re at least entertaining of late.
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Yu Darvish just pinballed three grown men, two of whom were wearing armor, with one baseball.
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Just got off the conference call with Josh Hamilton. Story coming eventually, but to answer the question on everyone’s mind: he says he’s doing well, still sober, and spending a lot of time on his ranch, and just “being dad”.
After a long silence, that’s really good to hear.
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Corey Dickerson pinch-hit for the Pirates in Cincinnati earlier today. The Phillies play tonight in Philadelphia… will we get the rare "one-player-appears-for-two-teams-in-the-same-day" occurrence?
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Just listened to the Rangers radio broadcast give a similar accounting. Gotta say, I do love it when an entire industry — in this case, baseball broadcasting — is willing to stand up and call out ludicrous behavior for what it is.
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Corey Seager has the same locker he used when the Dodgers were in the home clubhouse for the 2020 postseason
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[some front office somewhere] You know, the bullying of a woman on twitter didn't bother me, and the SI article was fine, the drone accident in the playoffs are no biggie, the conspiracy theories are fiiiiine, but THIS tears it. This is absolutely not okay. How dare he
Lots and lots of industry speculation about how much this incident affects Bauer’s trade value. Ugly.
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I don’t usually write about *me* for The Athletic, but I did today, because I’m maybe writing about a lot of us.
"Depression sucks. I still lose some days. But I'm still here.
For those of you who are in this boat with me: stay visible. It means you're stronger than the darkness."
In light of Drew Robinson's story, @ThreeTwoEephus opens up about his own battle.
🔓
theathletic.com/2363251?sour…
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Jacob deGrom felt some tightness in his left side, and — given the cold weather and how early it is in camp, we’re told — they’re going to hold him back a day or two. We’re told the seriousness level is such that he would play through it if it were the regular season.
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This Mets/Mariners thing is like in high school when the problem guy meets the problem girl from another school and all the teachers and parents are like “ahh geez we even put them in different schools to avoid this” but too late they have matching face tattoos now
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DBACKS VS RANGERS WS STORYLINES:
- Corbin Carroll v. Evan Carter
- Jeff Banister revenge tour
- Mad Dog Russo has to retire, lol
- How many old west-themed IG posts from MLB in the next 3 days? (over/under set at 85.5)
- WHO DOES NEW MEXICO ROOT FOR? (@MitchGarver pls help)
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One thing I think a lot of people (speaking to my fellow Christians here; the “I would never mean to cause hurt, but I’m opposed to Pride Night because of my personal beliefs” crowd) get wrong is what having a Pride Night even means:
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Seeing the tagged accounts makes me realize this was almost definitely planned. Which makes it way less funny to me. But at least I got a moment of laughter, even if it was yet another case of pyrite joy in this inauthentic metaverse
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Max Scherzer driving a Porsche to the meetings today is not headline-worthy unless you're also going to just randomly include that that Steve Cohen paid $155 million for a Picasso painting.
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Love that it's Daniel Hudson — who took so much unnecessary grief for taking paternity leave for the birth of his daughter earlier this month — who closes out the World Series.
Congrats, Nats. Congrats Nats fans. Congrats Daniel Hudson.
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"I've seen 162 games, basically for 25 years. And if they saw what I saw, and they remembered little girls' faces being blown up and kids getting hit in the chest and not breathing, I think they would be okay with (nets)." - Chris Woodward, Rangers manager
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Well, Justin Turner is on the field after all. He and Kershaw just hugged. Both wearing masks, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Rangers have reached agreements with first-round pick Jack Leiter and second-round pick Aaron Zavala, sources tell me and @Ken_Rosenthal.
Should be announced officially soon, maybe even tonight.
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Source informs me that the Texas Rangers will continue to pay their Minor League players $400/week through at least the end of June.
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A.J. Hinch is really steamed, and frankly I don't blame him. Kulpa has been responding to every little thing coming from the Astros bench, and then giving a self-satisfied smirk.
Authorities are meant to de-escalate, and Kulpa has done the opposite of that tonight.
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Full disclosure, the rest of the writers established a council, took a vote, and we threw @JeffPassan into an NFT volcano as a sacrifice to get baseball back. He will be missed.
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Breaking(?) news: the four Rangers uniforms this year will be: White, Gray, Blue, Powder blue. The red jerseys are the casualty of this year’s four-uniform limit
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Gerrit Cole just struck out his 59th batter since his last walk — an MLB record. Kyle Higashioka must not have known, because he tossed the ball into the stands.
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Players are humans too. Family, comfort levels, a vast spectrum of factors can influence these decisions.
But “Nah, I’d rather stay with literally the Detroit Tigers” is still absolutely wild behavior
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers had a trade in place for left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, but Rodriguez invoked his 10-team no-trade clause that included the Dodgers and the deal is now dead, sources tell ESPN.
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